The present invention relates to a document table for a document reproduction machine such as an electrophotographic copying machine and, more particularly, to a combination of a document table for carrying a document and a document cover for pressing it to the document table in a document reproduction machine such as an electrophotographic copying machine or image scanner.
In an electrophotographic copying machine, a document is placed on a transparent document table to produce an electrostatic latent image onto a photoreceptor by light scanning the document. The copying surface of the document faces to the front plane of the document table. Light from a light source impinges on the copying surface through the front plane. The reflected light is focused on the photoreceptor using lens and mirror system.
A pivotal document cover is conventionally provided for pressing the document on the document table. The document cover can prevent the emitted light from leaking outside and functioning as a white background of the document.
Conventionally, the size of the document cover is identical with the size of the plane of the document table so as to cover the whole area of the document table. The material of the document cover is nontransparent. Therefore, after the document cover is closed to cover the document for copying, the position of the document cannot be checked. Before a copied paper is made and discharged from the copying machine, it is not possible to detect that the document has slipped from the correct copying area after mounting it on the document table by the operator. Further, even after the copying of the document, the document may be forgotten on the document table.